No Choice
by White Moon Princess
Summary: Tai has been called up for a tour of duty with the military. Mimi doesn't want to go and has to work through her emotions as she copes with the news. You will laugh, cry and smile as you read this latest Michi story. Please read and review!


**Hello everyone! This is a story I wrote a couple years ago and it's always been close to my heart. It's a Michi story and Tai has to go overseas with the military. Since my father is a member of the armed forces and has gone overseas, this subject is deeply personal. This story was written with my partner Kurosaki girl 0890 who is my loyal cousin and partner in many writing ventures including my latest one.**

**I also would like to put a little plug in for my current Michi story called Obsessions. I just got back into the swing of writing so this story will be on going. If you are interested please look it up and review. Please make sure to review this story as well, it will be much appreciated!**

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No Choice

Tai Kamiya looked at his calloused hands. The call he had been waiting for had finally arrived. It looked like all his training in combat was going to come to good use. He was being shipped out in two day's time to serve his country.

His brown eyes landed on the picture that rested on his nightstand; it was of him and his girlfriend of two years. Why he had never gotten around to marrying her was just one of the many questions that surrounded their relationship. Perhaps it was because he knew this day would come when he would be asked to join the war...and he didn't want her to have to become a widow if something horrible happened to him.

Mimi wasn't one to really understand such things though, she would constantly ask him when they were going to get married and start a family of their own. She had seen Sora, her best friend, marry and have a baby in the two years that they had been together. Tai could see why she would be anxious to start that part of her life. But somewhere in the back of his mind he always knew this day would come.

The chair squeaked as he pushed it away from his desk. Soon it would be time for him to meet Mimi at the mall, there he would have to tell her. There was no way he could keep this hidden, especially since her birthday was on Saturday...and he wouldn't be here in order to celebrate it with her. He knew that would break her heart but...what else could he do?

Slowly he walked into his bathroom and there he started to get ready for the day. As he combed his hair he leaned his free hand against the sink.

"Mimi..."

* * *

Mimi Tachikawa's high heels clicked on the floor of the mall as she shopped. She was carrying several bags in her hands. She pulled out her pink and black Blackberry phone to check the time. Tai would be here soon to pick her up. She had come early today to catch all the spring sales that were going on.

'_My birthday is on Saturday. I wonder if Tai has something planned. Sora wanted to take me to lunch, but...I wonder if Tai has something special planned for just the two of us. I should ask him about that.'_

She smiled as she pulled up a picture that Sora had sent her. The picture was of Sora, her husband Matt, and their little boy Daisuke. Daisuke was a beautiful mix of his mother and father. He had the reddish brown hair like his mother, but his father's deep blue eyes. They were all smiling happily for the photo that had been taken.

Her thoughts fell on her own situation. She and Tai had been childhood friends for many years just like Matt and Sora had been. They all had belonged to the same group through their entire growing up years. But it wasn't until high school that things had gotten serious between her and Tai. They dated the last year that they had shared together in high school. Tai had graduated last year with Sora and Matt. But the interesting part was...Sora and Matt had begun dating when they were in middle school. By the time that both of them graduated high school...they were married and Sora was expecting a child. Daisuke had been born shortly after they had graduated and both Matt and Sora had settled into a perfect domestic life.

She couldn't help but want that for herself. She'd always wanted to have her own children and she had hoped by the time she graduated that she might be married and expecting a child too. But now that date would be coming up very soon and she was still not married. Though it was a big step for her to move into Tai's apartment with him when he had graduated and gotten his own place...it was far from a marriage proposal and a baby.

'_I shouldn't complain. Tai is everything I could ever want. He's always loved me and taken good care of me. I love him and that's what matters right? Well then...why am I so disappointed that he won't marry me? Is there something wrong with me? Is that why after knowing each other forever and dating officially for two years...he hasn't proposed yet? Is there some reason that he doesn't want to marry me and start a family?'_

Slowly she walked outside and sat on a bench under a large cherry tree. It was a lovely spring day and on the next Monday, she would start classes again. She would be finishing up her final year in high school and then she would graduate. Her parents had begged her to come to America and go to college there, but she had always held them off saying that she would get married and have a family with Tai right after high school.

She pulled out a small notebook and began to jot down some notes of things she would need to do before school got back in session on Monday. She would have to finish up her homework from winter break and shop for a few things. Her and Tai would have to start discussing their plans for after she graduated as well. '_I wonder how that discussion will go over. He always seems to avoid the talk about our future together...'_

Tai sat on the train, on his way to the mall where he was to meet Mimi. He had his phone out and was typing a message to Matt. In that message he told him about being called out to the war that was going on. He hesitated slightly before pushing the send button. Leaning his head against the seat he groaned. It was going to be very hard to tell Mimi about all this.

Matt instantly texted back and asked if there was anything he and Sora could do to help. They didn't have much since both of them were going to college, but they would do their best to help in any way they could.

Tai typed back and then put his cell phone in the pocket of his jeans. There wasn't much they could do honestly...he only asked that they take care of Mimi while he was gone. The train lurched to a stop and he quickly got off before the doors slid closed. Tai walked calmly towards the mall, not in any big hurry to get there. He was still going over how he would tell her in his mind as he approached the bench she was sitting on.

She looked up and smiled, putting away her notebook, "Hey honey, how was the train ride?"

Tai grinned back, "A blast."

"I'm glad. I got you something." she reached over for one of the bags that was in her stash and handed it to him.

"I got you something from that sports store you like." she added, waiting for him to open the bag and see the jersey of his favorite player on the national football team.

Tai took the bag from her outstretched hand and looked inside. His eyes widened as he pulled out the jersey.

"Wow! You didn't have to get this, I know it wasn't cheap."

"I wanted to. Now you can wear this when you watch or go to the games." she smiled a little wider at seeing him so happy.

"Thank you. I'll have to show Matt when he comes over tonight." Tai gushed as he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. His face went serious as he looked into her eyes. "But...there's something we need to talk about."

Her face fell at seeing his expression. She picked up the other bags of things she had purchased, "Okay...what do you want to talk about?"

Tai grabbed some of her bags and put them on the ground so he was able to sit on the bench next to her. "The military called...my unit is being deployed...my flight leaves in two days."

Mimi's eyes widened but she didn't speak for several minutes. '_Is this really happening? I knew at the time that we thought Tai joining the military would be a good thing. He said it would only be temporary, just a few years is all. And he said the chance of him deploying was slim. How can this be happening right now?'_

"Are you...sure? There must be some mistake." she stammered out.

He shook his head, "There's no mistake. They need more men out there...so my unit was the next one to be sent."

Mimi put her head in her hands. '_This can't be happening. I'm dreaming and I'm going to wake up right? Tai and I are supposed to marry and start a family. He's not supposed to go to war and get shot at. He's just supposed to be here for me...'_ After a moment, she sighed, trying to hold all her emotions in. '_I just sounded like a hugely selfish bitch. Tai is probably just as upset as I am about it. I can't break down and cry. I need to be strong and support him through this.'_

"So...you leave in two days..." she trailed off, desperately trying to keep her composure.

He looked off into the distance, "Yeah...two days and then I'll be shipped away."

"We should get our...affairs in order. Do you have any idea how long you'll be gone?"

"At least a year...if not more." Tai sighed.

This news caused Mimi to stiffen. She bit her lip hard to stop herself from crying or getting too emotional. "I'm guessing you have to go right?" she asked as calmly as she could muster, but it was getting harder every second.

"Can't refuse, at least, not until my time is finished, which I have at least 5 more years to my contract. Mimi...I'm sorry, I didn't think it'd happen so soon."

"Are...you...actually going to be...in combat?" her voice cracked as she began to choke up, her emotions finally getting the better of her.

Tai closed his eyes, "Yeah...I'm one of the best snipers of my unit...I'm sure they'll be sending me lots of places."

"So you'll be shot at?" Hot tears began to trail down her face, but she kept her face hidden by her hands so it wouldn't make this harder on Tai.

He cracked a smile, "I guess it's a good thing that I can usually sense those things before they happen."

Mimi noticed his smile and wanted nothing more than to wipe it off his face. This was nothing to smile about. She sniffed, "This is no time to smile Tai. You're going to war for God's sake. Who knows if you'll..." a sob escaped before she could stop it, "make it back alive. This wasn't supposed to happen. You were supposed to do your time and then get out. We were just using it to get you through college. Then you were going to get out and we'd live happily ever after..."

Tai's smile slowly vanished, "Life isn't a fairytale Mimi...we knew I was taking a chance when I signed up but I still did it anyway. I wasn't like Matt...I don't have any talent outside my shooting skills...and that's why I joined, it was the only way I could make it through college. I didn't want this to happen either but we need to make the best out of it."

"We were stupid not to take the money my parents offered." she muttered.

"Then they would hold it over our heads and use it to get us to America. I didn't want to have to deal with that and neither did you." Tai pointed out tiredly.

'_What am I doing? I shouldn't fight with him when I only have two days left. We have so much to do before he leaves. Just accept it girl...he's going whether you like it or not.'_

"You're right...I'm sorry. Me being upset isn't going to change things. We shouldn't fight when you only have two days left. There's so much to do before you leave."

"Yeah...I have a lot I need to pack and plan...don't worry you won't have to worry about paying the rent on the apartment or anything. I'll send you my checks from where I'm stationed."

Mimi wiped away her tears and looked up at him, "I won't worry about that. But...there is something else we do need to discuss and now is as good a time as any...considering you will be gone for a year or more..." she paused for a moment before continuing, "We need to talk about us Tai. You and I have both been tiptoeing around it for months. But now that you are leaving, we can't wait any longer."

Tai sighed, "We can't get married Mimi. For one there isn't enough time and you know how your mother is. She'll want to plan this huge wedding and I don't have time for that. Besides...you'll find out that it's easier not being married-at least for the time being."  
"Honestly...I don't care what my mother thinks. We can hold a big ceremony when you get back. We can just go down to City Hall and get married right now. And I am really interested to know exactly how not being married is easier for me." she answered, crossing her legs as she waited for his answer.

"Because...a lot could happen while I'm gone. And...truth be told, I'm not ready for marriage." Tai admitted.

Mimi sighed as she looked at the ground. '_You can't force him to marry you. But for hell sakes...Matt was more resistant to the idea of marriage and he married Sora. Why is it so hard for him?'_

"Okay...I respect that..." she said carefully, "I thought that you didn't want to marry me. I thought...maybe there is something wrong with me. Or hell...you could still be upset that Sora got married to Matt for all I know. Am I just worrying too much or is that why you won't marry me?"

"You're worrying way too much. I'm not ready for it right now but I'm sure a few years down the road I'll be ready."

"And...I'm guessing a baby is out of the question too..."

"It's not likely we'd get pregnant in two days, besides, could you really handle a pregnancy alone?" Tai asked.

"Well...I'd have to. Besides, then I'd have a part of you with me always. I'd have our baby. And who knows...maybe it could happen...but I won't force you to do it. If you don't want to then just say so and we'll go home and start packing." she looked up at him.

Tai sighed again, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything...since it's not very likely that you will."

She stood up and grabbed the rest of the bags, "We should probably get going. We have to start packing and get ready for when Matt, Sora and Daisuke come over."

Tai stood up also, "You're right, better get back."

With her free hand, she reached out and took his, "We're gonna be okay...right? Everything's going to be fine."

'_I am trying to assure him...or am I trying to convince myself?'_

He nodded, "Everything will be all right."

They slowly got on the train and went back to their apartment. Mimi went into their bedroom and began to put away the clothes she had bought and organize the clothes Tai would need to take.

"Tai, did they give you a list of what to pack?" she called into the living room.

"Yeah I just printed out the list from an email they sent." He called back as his finger clicked against the mouse of his laptop.

She walked into their office and took the paper off the printer. There was a lot of things on this list, but...it seemed like not enough for an entire year away from home.

"Do you want to come sit on the bed and we can talk about things while I start finding your things?" Mimi asked as she poked her head out into the living room where Tai was sitting.

He put his computer to the side and stood up and followed her into the bedroom. She began to set his clothes on the edge of the bed and grab his military travel bags and pack.

"So...are we going to get to communicate at all? Can I send you care packages or is it going to be too chaotic for me to do that?" she asked easily.

"I think it should be easy enough. But I don't know for sure." Tai answered honestly.

"We'll have to look into that. Maybe we can email or use Skype. I want to have you there at my graduation and my birthday. Lots of things you need to come to." she glanced at him and then leaned over to touch his cheek, "I want to make this...as easy as we can. I don't want you to miss anything and hopefully I can talk to you about everything that's going on there."

"That would be great. But...we have to face the fact that we might only be able to communicate by email or letter. Which will really suck but...I'll probably be on the front lines most of the time."

"And if we can't then I'll just have Sora videotape and we can send you some video. We'll work it out."

"Sounds good." Tai grinned.

She had pulled almost all of his clothes out of the closet and onto the edge of the bed. She looked up at him, "You know...if I hurry and get some snacks together...we might still have some time before Matt and Sora come." she smirked followed by a wink wink.

Tai laughed, "That is true."

"Well then I'll go and get the snacks ready. You...get yourself ready." she laughed as she walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

Tai laughed as he shook his head. Mimi got out some chips and salsa, sushi rolls and other snacks that everyone would like. She set them out on the counter and then walked back into the bedroom. She giggled at seeing Tai stretched out on the bed. After a moment, she walked slowly over to him, running her hand down his cheek before sitting on the bed and drawing him into a kiss.

Tai turned her over so she was the one resting on the bed and he began to kiss her, allowing his passion to take over and rule over his actions. Mimi moaned, not really caring how loud she was. The hours seemed to rush by and they were still at it. Mimi hoped that the more times they did it, the more likely she was to get pregnant before Tai left.

Suddenly there was a loud sound of someone clearing their throat. Mimi jumped and pulled the covers up around her. She looked around Tai who was busy kissing her neck to stare straight into Matt's blue eyes.

"Nice. It's funny catching you two right in the act. Lucky that Sora took my son to get an ice cream cone before the party or he would have gotten a sight."

Mimi groaned, "Shut up Matt."

Matt shrugged, "Not that I haven't seen it all before. Tai's...little general is hard to forget. And Meems...how do you keep your boobs so firm? Sora always complains about hers."

Mimi's mouth opened in shock at how Matt could just spew all this out in the open. "Matt!"

Matt smiled devilishly, "Any secrets I can tell her?"

She rolled her eyes, "I haven't had kids. That's the problem."

While pulling the sheet up a little more around herself, she tried to cover Tai up so he wouldn't give Matt more of a show than he already had.

Tai pulled away from her quickly and pulled on his boxers and a pair of basketball shorts. He raised an eyebrow at Matt.

"I didn't know you were interested in the whole, watching your best friend have sex thing, apparently I was wrong."

"You know...I could give you some pointers there, but I'll save them for when we're having beer later." Matt chuckled as he leaned in the doorway.

"Now where's my little God son, huh? Sora shouldn't take this long to get ice cream...wait, knowing her she probably knew what she might walk in on, so therefore, she avoided it. I'm sure she warned you too but you just turned her warnings aside."

Matt walked into the kitchen, grabbing a beer that he had brought from the fridge, "I'm sure she did. Mimi's really loud you know."

He sat a beer on the counter for Tai as he moved to sit on the couch. "So...how did she take it? Hopefully she didn't burst into hysterical tears, though I wouldn't put it past her."

Tai sat down next to Matt, "Pretty well actually. Of course there were some tears but that's normal for anyone that gets this kind of news. She brought up marriage and kids...again, but again, that's normal as well. How are you and Sora doing with Daisuke?"

"Pretty good. It's busy with both of us in school, but we manage. He loves coming to band practice with me." Matt smiled at the thought of his little boy.

"I'm surprised he doesn't get into any trouble. He'll end up being a musician like you." Tai commented.

"Oh, he's trouble sometimes. He likes to give his mother trouble." Matt took a swig of his beer, "So...you're going to give Meems some kids huh? I thought you wouldn't do it until you're married. You were kinda a prick about it in high school."

"I highly doubt she'll get pregnant. If she does...it'll be hard for her...and for me." Tai mumbled.

Matt looked at Tai, a serious look crossing his face, "You realize it only takes once Tai. All you have to do is make it work once. How many times have you done it so far? You realize she's playing you like a fiddle? The more times you do it, the higher chance she has of getting pregnant."

"I know...I just feel bad...and so-I let her take advantage." Tai shrugged, "It isn't like I hate it...just that it's going to make things harder for her than they need to be. But I guess that's why she has you guys."

Matt's blue eyes looked right into Tai's brown ones. "You have to stop Tai. Be logical. Mimi will fall apart when you leave her and if she's pregnant...do you really think she'll be in the state of mind to properly take care of a baby? It's hard man...it's hard with two people. So doing it by yourself...it's a hell hole. Do you want me to have Sora talk some sense into Mimi for you?"

Tai ran his hand through his hair, "Probably would be best. But...it seems like I've been holding out on Mimi on a lot of things. I just...wish there was a way I didn't have to go but there isn't."

"It's not your fault. You've been dating what...two years? Mimi just expects too much out of you. She wants to jump right into domestic life. She's 17 for hell sakes. She hasn't even really lived yet. The girl is still in high school." Matt muttered.

"Do you think you and Sora jumped into it? You did get her pregnant before you two even sealed the deal."

"Sora and I dated a hell of a lot longer than you two. We were ready. It took years before Sora convinced me to marry her. And just because it was right for us does not mean it's right for you."

"Took her years? Was she talking about marrying you Sophomore year then? Wow...you two got married Senior year, right?"

"Yeah, but trust me...I saw the hints long before she opened her mouth. But it took me until senior year to actually say it was okay to get married. I didn't want to get married after the shit my parents went through. But...Sora was it for me. So I had to...take a chance and hoped it would work and I wouldn't end up like my Mom and Dad. But I think since you are not ready...Mimi should just back off. You realize why she's doing this...she wants to have a baby to help cope. But it won't help. It'll make things worse."

"I know..." Tai sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. "In all respects I shouldn't even be living with her until after she graduated, but I gave in on that as well. Her mother hates me-I don't know..."

The door opened then and Sora walked in with Daisuke in hand. When Daisuke saw Matt he grinned and ran to him, his arms outstretched. Sora took one look at Matt and Tai and folded her arms.

"What happened now?"

Matt grinned, "Things that shouldn't be discussed in front of our son."

She walked over and sat down on the couch next to Matt. Leaning over she kissed Daisuke's cheek and did the same to Matt.

"Well, we'll have to discuss it soon."

"Yeah...why don't you and Tai discuss it while I play with my boy?" Matt took his son in his arms and led him down the hall to the game room.

That was when Tai started to explain everything that he had been talking to Matt about previously. Sora pressed her lips together as she listened to his tale.

"Having a kid isn't all peaches and roses. Mimi doesn't see what we go through when we aren't with you guys. It's hard work...really hard, and I can't even imagine raising a child alone. There's no way I could do it...well, maybe I could but it'd be extremely hard."

"I know-but what can I do? We're not holding back from it..." Tai replied.

Sora drummed her fingers on her thigh, "I don't know, in a way I can see how you feel and in another way I can see how Mimi feels. It'd be really hard all around. I guess-just go with your gut instinct on this one."

"Gee, thanks." Tai mumbled.

"Talk to Mimi before she gets knocked up! Please!" Matt called down the hall.

Sora stood up and walked down the hall, "And why do I have to be the one to do it? Why can't you talk to her?"

"Because you are the woman and you know about having babies. I didn't have him now did I?"

"What are you three chattering about?" Mimi walked down the hall, completely cleaned up from her earlier soiree.

Sora glared at Matt before turning and smiling at Mimi. "Oh nothing, just ran into some guy talk, you know how it is."

"Oh yes and especially when they break out the beer. Do you want something to drink Sora?" Mimi asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Punch would be fine if you have some." She replied back, with a small kick to Matt's shin.

Matt looked at Sora with an innocent look before gently elbowing her. Mimi returned with a tall glass of punch with ice in it.

"It's good to have all four of us together. You two are so busy now that we hardly get to see you." Mimi sat down on the other couch kitty corner from Sora and Matt.

"Yeah I know, I'm really sorry about that. School has gotten crazy for both of us and Matt has his band practice on top of going to school and having a job. It's really insane, I started working at my mother's flower shop as well." Sora explained.

"Wow you two are busy. How do you manage with Dai?" Mimi asked curiously.

"We switch off with who gets to take him to what. Most of the time he goes with Matt to practice so I can get a few hours in at work. And then once I'm done with work I come get him and then Matt goes to work. And while we're in class he goes up to the daycare at school."

"I can take him sometimes if you want. I don't mind and it gets lonely around here."

Sora smiled, "We'll have to take you up on that one of these days when we want to go on a date or something. Most of the time we just hang out at the apartment together after Matt gets home from work. Which usually isn't until late at night but I'm up doing homework at that time anyway."

"Well I don't mind at all. Day or night, you just call. I don't have much homework and the last bit is a breeze." Mimi replied.

"He's a handful though, he'll be turning one soon and its making me realize just how fast time flies." Sora said as she gazed at Daisuke lovingly.

"Yes, they grow really fast. You are both very lucky." Mimi watched Daisuke playing with some toys on the floor.

"But it isn't all easy...it's really hard to have a baby, especially while trying to work and go to school." Sora added quickly, her eyes locking with Matt's, "Right?"

"Hell yeah. It was right for us, but it's not for the weak for sure. Having a baby, working and going to school is a lot of work." Matt added.

"And sometimes...we wonder if we jumped into having a baby too quickly. Of course it wasn't exactly a planned pregnancy but...there are times we wish we would have been more careful, of course we don't regret it! Its just..." she searched for the right words, "harder then what it needed to be."

"Yeah...I wouldn't take Dai back for anything, but hell...it was hard. I sure didn't plan on getting Sora knocked up. I wasn't sure if I was going to get married let alone have a family. So...yeah...consider your options very carefully." Matt replied, his blue eyes studying Mimi.

Mimi straightened up, "Okay you two...what are you up to? Are you trying to convince me not to have a baby?"

Matt smirked, "Exactly. I knew there was some brains under those blonde locks."

Mimi rolled her eyes, "Very funny."

"We just don't want you to rush into anything. You are only in High school, you have so much to accomplish before you become a mother. I just think you need to seriously think about this more in depth before you make a decision." Sora added, "My situation was different...so you can't use me as an excuse for doing what I did."

"What exactly is it that I'm supposed to accomplish?" Mimi asked curiously.

"Just the other day you were telling me that you wanted to become a fashion designer, what happened to those plans?"

Mimi looked down at her shoes, "I can design from home. I have training...it's a suitable career to do from home."

"You need to go to college for it Mimi, you need to do so many things in order to be able to design from home. It isn't something you can just pick up by doing a few Internet classes. Trust me, you need to do these things before you have a family." Sora said seriously.

She looked down at her son and then back at Matt, "For us its been really difficult, especially since Matt really wants to get his music career off the ground but-since we have a little family he has no choice but to work and attend school at the same time. So that we'll have a backup plan if he doesn't make it in the music business."

Mimi nodded easily, "That makes sense. It's always good to have a plan, though honestly, I think our singer will make it."

Matt smiled, "I'll take that compliment. Thank you."

Sora rested her head on his shoulder, "Mimi...you just need to re-think things is all we're trying to say."

Mimi glanced at Tai before turning back to Matt and Sora. "I'll consider it, though I'm not making any promises."

Tai shrugged his shoulders and Sora smiled, "That's all we ask."

Mimi took a sip of her drink before interlacing her fingers with Tai's, directing her question to Sora, "So tell us about school. How's your studies going?"

"Pretty good, my lowest grade is a B- so I suppose that's a plus." Sora answered.

"That's really great! College is somewhat harder than high school, especially when you start out. Of course you don't have to worry about entrance exams like I do." Mimi commented.

"Just study and you'll do fine." Sora grinned.

"I do my best. Tai has given me a few pointers that really seem to help and it does help having some practice exams I can take."

"She's doing a lot better than she was last year." Tai added.

"So hopefully on this last try I can get into Tokyo University. If not...we'll figure something out. At the very worst, we could go live in America with my parents for a couple of years and I'd go to college there, but I'd rather not do that if I can."

Sora locked eyes with Tai, she knew his feelings on going to America. "I guess that's always a good backup plan." she said slowly.

Mimi noticed the exchange between them, "Then again...maybe college isn't my scene. I've had a hard enough time with high school."

"No! You need to go to college and get a degree." Sora said quickly with a slight flush to her cheeks.

"If I can do it, then you can Meems." Matt commented.

"Well...perhaps...considering you barely passed high school." Mimi smirked.

"Yeah, I had my beautiful wife to help me, otherwise I probably would have failed." Matt gave Sora's hand a squeeze.

Tai yawned, "Without Sora you'd be a dead beat."

Matt scowled at Tai, "I'd be a musical bum for sure. Playing my guitar on the street corner probably. But I'm not and I have her to thank."

"Still don't know why she chose you of all people but hey, I can't complain. My two best friends got hitched, it's a pretty cool thing."

"Yeah we did and it was quite a bash at our reception." Matt grinned, thinking of all the drunken escapades everyone was doing that night.

Sora groaned, "I can't believe you threw up on my shoes. I'll never forget that you know."

"Geez now everyone knows. I was trying to keep that quiet you know. And I threw up after having like...what...a dozen or more drinks? I usually hold my alcohol really well." Matt muttered.

Sora nudged him with her elbow, "We all know you were scared spitless to be married to me. I really don't know why it was that scary, we'd already been acting like we were married, all we did was add a paper and ring."

"It's a big step! Come on now...we all know why that is." Matt replied slightly in a huff.

Sora shared a look with Mimi before turning her eyes back to him. "I swear you were more scared about marrying me than when I told you I was pregnant."

"Yeah, cuz I expected that someday. I did not expect us to actually get married, considering my views on the whole institution, though I'm glad ours is working out."

"In all respects it should have scared you more to get the news that your girlfriend was pregnant." Tai smirked.

Matt shrugged, "Well it didn't. Maybe because I was conceived out of wedlock too or I actually paid attention in health class when they talked about sex unlike you, who knows."

Tai laughed, "Sure, that was the only time you were awake in that class."

"Damn straight. It was the only interesting topic the whole year and they didn't even cover it right." Matt grinned as he watched Tai.

Tai sweat dropped and sighed, "That's one thing about you that will never change."

"Nope and you should pay attention if you want to make any relationship successful in that way."

"I think mine's gone well so far."

"Me and Meems will have that discussion while you're gone. Who knows...maybe she needs some expert attention." he flashed an evil grin.

"Keep dreaming." Mimi muttered.

Sora pinched Matt's cheek, "I don't think so mister!"

Matt groaned as she pulled on his cheek, "Just a joke dear. You know you're the only one who can keep up with me."

"You're just sayin' that to make me go easy on you." She replied as she continued to pull.

"You know it's true. Need I remind you of some past incidents that prove it..."

Her cheeks turned a flaming red and she pinched a little harder. "No you don't need to say anything."

Mimi snorted, "What...like the fact that some of your other flings didn't make it after one time. What...one had a heart attack and ended up in the hospital and the other couldn't walk for weeks. I'd say that Sora must be special to keep up with your drive."

Matt shrugged, "It's not all me. She's an animal when she wants to be."

"We are _not _talking about this." Sora said in despair and embarrassment.

"We aren't? Why not? We can tell them all about our escapades in high school. I think they'd love the story about the Principal's desk, don't you?" Matt's eyes glinted with mischief.

Sora shook her head, "No that would make them think you're a freak."

"You were too. You participated."

"O-only because you seduced me, it was all your fault!" she cried, her loud voice made Daisuke turn and stare at her.

"I did no such thing and you know it. I don't have to seduce you anymore. That was so middle school." Matt continued to tease his flustered wife.

"We never did it in middle school!" she said exasperated.

"Doesn't mean I didn't seduce you and you're probably right...maybe freshman year I had to seduce you. Otherwise...once you and I did do the deed...you were hooked."

Her face turned even brighter, "So?"

Mimi leaned over the coffee table and punched Matt's arm, "Enough you horny bastard. You guys were like rabbits, we get it. Don't make me jealous."

"Well you'll have to discuss that one with your boyfriend over there. I can't do anything that would anger my wife." Matt answered.

Tai rolled his eyes. "We're much more civilized then they were."

"Yes, I've never done it on the Principal's desk. In fact, I'd say in that way we're probably boring. We do it in our room and that's it." Mimi shrugged as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Tai couldn't believe they were actually talking about their sex lives. It wasn't something people usually did.

"So..." he mumbled, attempting to change the subject.  
"So?" Matt looked over at Tai, not bothered at all by their current topic.

"How bout we talk about something else?"

Sora winced when she bent down to pick Daisuke up. "It's time to feed you little one. Thankfully breast feeding is almost finished with."

"You're welcome to use any room you like Sora." Mimi said.

Sora stood up, "Thanks, it'll only take a few minutes." She then hurried off into one of the back rooms.

"So since we don't want to make Tai uncomfortable...what time are you leaving on the day after tomorrow? Me and Sora will want to see you off at the airport if we can." Matt leaned back against the couch.

"Flight leaves at 1 in the afternoon, I have to be there by like 11 though. They want to go over some last minute details with us before we leave." Tai answered easily.

"Okay we can come by noon then." he turned to look at Mimi, "I assume you're going with him at 11?"

"Yes, I'll go with him. I want..." she looked down at her shoes, "as much time with him before he goes as I can."

Matt smiled as he leaned over and touched her knee, "That's a perfectly reasonable thing. And...me and Sora will be here to help while he's away. I bet the Kamiya family will help you too. So you're not alone."

Mimi's face started to fall as she realized just how much time they had left. Tai would leave soon and then what? '_He's my world. I'm here all alone, really. I defied my parents wishes tons of times so I can be with him. He means the world to me. I can't...what am I going to do without him?'_

"Yeah..." she replied vacantly.

Matt sighed and turned to Tai, "Dude, there's something that I brought for you. I put it in the office, do you want to go see it?"

"Sure." Tai replied as he stood up.

Matt walked down the hall to the office and once Tai had entered, he shut the door. Matt's backpack was in a corner and he opened a large pocket and pulled out some cases.

"There's a DVD here...it'll make you laugh...some stuff you probably haven't seen in a while and this CD has some of my music on it. Call it marketing, but maybe you'll like it and your buddies might too." Matt handed the cases to Tai.

Tai took them, "Thank you, I'll for sure let the guys hear your stuff and I'll tell you what they say."

"May I make a suggestion to you as your best friend before you go? Maybe you noticed, but you tend to have a very thick skull so I'd better make sure you understand what's going on here." Matt glanced back at the door.

"I know she doesn't want me to go Matt. That is plainly obvious. But I can't change it," Tai sighed.

"Glad you picked that up. All I'm going to suggest is...just keep reminding her that everything will be okay. I know you've got a lot on your mind and I'll do anything I can to help you there, but Mimi's your girl...I assume you'll marry her one day so...perhaps you should make sure to spend a little extra time on her to make sure she feels special and has lots of good memories for when you're gone. Am I making sense here?"

Tai rubbed the back of his neck, "I only have one full day left. There's not much I can do in that amount of time. So I figure the best thing I can do for her right now is be there for her. I think she'd rather have me do that then try to spend a lot of time on trying to plan something big a flashy, you know?"

"Did I ever say it had to be flashy? Well I'm sure it'll all work out. You're probably going to go to your parents house tonight right? I'm sure your mom is going to make some awful creation like spinach dumplings or eggplant surprise." Matt chuckled at Tai's mother's awful food.

Tai groaned in despair. "I don't want to but my mom said I had better. Besides I won't be able to see them for at least a year so I need to spend some time with them as well. So-I hate to admit it but my time isn't only going to be spent with Mimi. I'm sure she'll be able to understand. With it coming so sudden like this it makes it hard to do anything memorable or to her liking. Sometimes it's hard loving a high maintenance girl but I do, and I can't change that."

"You knew she was high maintenance long before you began dating her so all I can say is that's your own fault. Meems was high maintenance at birth but we all saw it by the time she was ten and we were all in the Digital World together. And honestly...I think she'll understand. It's your family after all. There's nothing to worry about. Maybe just spending time with you will be enough."

Tai gnawed at the inside of his cheek. With everything Matt had brought up it had made him nervous. What if he was really leaving her cold dry? At first he didn't think he was doing that since he could have gone into work for the last day but he had chosen to stay home with her, not to mention he missed classes. But-maybe that wasn't enough; Mimi was one to expect grander things...

Matt smacked Tai on the back, "I see your little wheels turning. Don't worry so much. Meems...it's weird since she's my wife's best friend, but...I think you're thinking too much now. You don't have to do something grand for her. I think that quality is better than quantity and simple is better than grand. I think you two just...spending time together is enough even if it's not grand or anything. Just be yourself and enjoy being with her before you go. Make sure you tell her you love her lots and I think you'll be just fine."

Tai clenched his hair in his hands and stared at the floor with wide eyes. "Now you've made me panic! You don't know her wraith if I don't do something that she expects of me! What if she's...expecting something? What am I going to do? I don't have the funds to pull something off this quickly."

"Well both of us could be assuming. Why not ask the Queen Bee herself? I suspect she'll say what I think because for some reason as I've gotten older I've understood the Princess in our group a little more. Don't panic...really...I didn't mean to make you panic. Go into Fearless Leader mode...that works better for you." Matt crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Tai go into his panic mode.

"I have to stress about what's going to happen while I'm gone and about my family and leaving her alone-and now this? Wow..." he sunk to he floor, his head going in between his knees, "I'm not ready for all this. I'm not ready to be shipped out to shoot at people instead of dummies, I'm not ready to leave my parents and Kari...and...I'm not ready to leave Mimi. But-I'm also not ready to be a father. What was I thinking on all accounts?"

Matt sat down next to Tai, "Dude...don't go all panicky on me. It doesn't help to panic about things. Think of the Skullgreymon incident. That happened when you were panicking and not thinking through everything. Let's think about this okay? First of all, your parents and Kari will be just fine while you are gone. You...in essence have left them in a way when you moved here with Mimi. And it's not like you're not going to see them again or be able to talk to them. You will so don't worry about that. Second, yeah it's scary to think you're actually shooting people out there, but for the time being...you have to do your job. You might have to get into the mentality of...it's eat or be eaten, kill or be killed so to speak. So for the time being just focus on that mentality and we'll deal with the aftereffects when you get home. The father thing...you and I both know how unlikely it is that she got pregnant. There is a chance of course and it really only takes one time, but...I honestly think that Mimi will have a harder time getting pregnant.

Matt paused for a few moments before continuing, "And if she does...well...we'll deal with it. Mimi will get all the support she needs while you are gone. I promise you that Tai. I'll take care of her the way that you would if you were here. After all...that is my job as your right hand man or the second in command in our group. Things will be okay while you are gone...I promise."

Tai closed his eyes, "Yeah...I know."

"So there's no need to panic. I'll take care of things." Matt's hand clapped on Tai's shoulder and shook it a little bit.

"I know you will...its just hard not to be the one."

"To take care of things?" Matt asked for clarification.

"Yeah." Tai mumbled.

"Well you know the rule. You're supposed to jump into things headfirst and I'm the one who cleans up the mess afterward." Matt reached his hand up to the computer desk and handed Tai a pair of goggles, "I found these a while ago and meant to give them to you. They aren't...yours per say, but they look just like the ones you used to wear. So just put them on and you can become our fearless leader again."

Tai brought his head up from his knees and looked at the goggles hanging from Matt's hand. With a small laugh he took them and held them. "I have no idea what I was thinking when I used to wear these. Now when I look back on it I can't help but wonder why I chose to wear them. Maybe it was so I was always prepared to swim."

"I always wondered too. It looked like you were always ready to take a dive. I guess that could come in handy." Matt laughed, "Though I have to admit...even back then...I had a great fashion sense. My hair was awesome back then."

Tai laughed again, "Conceited much?"

"No, not at all. Just truthful."

"You really do have no shame." Tai replied with a smirk.

"None whatsoever. That's what happens when you are me. Or rather...you go through what I did. I hope every single day that Dai doesn't go through what I did when I was a kid. I'm following right in my parents footsteps you know...baby out of wedlock and all. I just hope that my marriage works out differently. Don't tell Sora I said that. She'd be mad."

"Do you love her more than anything? Even your music?"

"I hope I never have to choose between the two. My passions in life are my family and my music which is why I can't give it up even though I should. My dad told me when Sora had Dai that I needed to settle down and get a job. I had a family to support. I really did try, but I couldn't get away from my music. But Sora is everything to me, ever since we were kids." Matt answered.

Tai looked at the opposite wall, "I hope you won't ever have to choose either. You make her happy...and I'll seriously kick your butt if you hurt her."

"I know, I know...you told me that when I proposed to her remember? I'll say the same thing for Meems when you do. Ever since we started writing songs together...I understand and respect her more. So I'll seriously kick your ass if you ever hurt her." Matt glanced at Tai out of the corner of his eye.

Tai was silent for a moment, "You may...but you'd run to her arms...wouldn't you?"

"What are you implying?" a blond eyebrow rose in curiosity.

"You know what I'm implying."

"I am a married man Tai and Meems would never sleep with me in a million years. She's completely in love with you. There's nothing to worry about." Matt's eyes moved to look at the gold ring on his left ring finger.

"How long are you going to try to convince yourself of that? We both know you have commitment problems." Tai pointed out solemnly.

"Both of those things are true. I may have commitment issues, but Mimi would never sleep with me and I am married happily. So there's nothing to worry about."

Tai didn't say anything else to him on the matter. He stood up and set the goggles on his desk again. "I'm sure Sora is finished feeding your son now and I'm sure Mimi's wondering what's going on in here."

"Yeah we should go now." Matt stood up as well.

Tai nodded and headed out of the office. He walked into the living room where Mimi was still sitting on the couch. He walked over to her and brought her into his arms. Snuggling his face into her hair he spoke, "I love you so much, just always remember that, okay?"

Mimi wrapped her arms around him, "I will. I love you too Tai."

As he held her close he realized he didn't want to ever let her go. She had become his whole life, everyday he thought about her and how she was doing. Mimi was always there when he came home from work or school late at night. And she was the first thing he saw when he woke up in the mornings. Going to war-was going to change all that. But at least, he would know he was protecting her as well as everyone else.

"You know...I wish I could come with you. I wish I was brave enough. It could be like the Digital World all over again. We'd have lots of cool and scary adventures together." she mused as her fingers played in his brown locks.

"Yes but this is nothing like the Digital World. But I understand what you mean."

"I'm going to miss you. I really do wish I could come with you. I might even drop out of high school just to come with you." she giggled as she pulled him just a little closer.

He smiled, "We both know that isn't possible, but it's fun to think about, isn't it?"

"Yep, it is, but I can dream."

"Shouldn't you two be getting ready to go see Tai's parents? Momma Kamiya would be upset if you miss eggplant surprise." Matt chuckled.

Mimi grinned as she looked over Tai's shoulder at Matt, "No...I think I'll kick you out so I can pleasure my boyfriend."

Matt's eyes glinted, "Can I come too?"

"No...you couldn't keep up." Mimi brushed Matt off.

Tai rolled his eyes, "Matt's right, we need to go visit my parents."

"Too bad Meems. I'm sure it'll be tough." Matt teased.

"Well...it's not like you could keep up. You've gained so much weight since you got married. It's lucky you don't have a beer gut."

Matt looked down at himself in mock horror, "Am not!" he squealed in a high pitched voice.

Sora came out with Dai on her hip.

"You've gained a little but it makes you look more healthy."

"I guess I need to hit the gym...or just have sex more." Matt answered.

"You are such a perv. Now you're gonna be a fat perv." Mimi said slyly.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Mimi and Matt began to fight like two year old's that had to compete over who was the best. The exchange went back and forth between the two of them as Tai and Sora watched. When Sora had had enough of the shouting she handed Dai to Tai, who looked unsure of what he should do with him, and then marched over to Matt and kissed him deeply for a moment before pulling away and walking back to Tai to take her son back. Matt blinked several times, trying to figure out what happened. Then he smiled at Mimi, "See...my wife gives me more loving than you could ever get from Tai."

Mimi put her hands on her hips, "You haven't seen Tai in action. He's...a beast."

"Really now?" Matt's ears perked.

Tai leaned down to whisper in Sora's ear. "That back fired, thanks."

She smiled apologetically, "I thought it would work but...it only made it worse. Sorry Tai."

"I wouldn't say 'beast' but anyway, I'm not one to kiss and tell so I'm not going to answer." Tai answered to Matt's look he was giving him.

"Well we'd better go now. I gotta do homework and so does Sora." Matt grabbed Daisuke and put him up on his shoulders.

Sora gave Tai a quick hug, "We'll be there to see you off but I wanted to give you one of those anyway. You two have fun at your mom's."

Tai grimaced, "Thanks."

Matt hugged Mimi for a moment before opening the door and holding it for Sora. After she left, he shut the door behind him, leaving Mimi and Tai alone in the apartment.

Tai looked at his watch, "We should be going too. We need to catch the next train."

Mimi walked over and grabbed her purse from the couch, quickly slinging it onto her shoulder, "All right, let's get going."

Tai and her quickly made it to the train station where they caught the train that would bring them closest to his parents apartment. The walk there had been uneventful but Tai had held Mimi's hand the whole way. It was now down to one full day that he would have with her before he had to leave. He would have to try to make it worth while, although he still had a lot to do in order to get ready.

He didn't even knock when they arrived, he pushed the door open and beamed at Kari who was on the phone with T.K., or at least that's what he assumed. She quickly got off the phone and ran into him, her arms wrapping around his neck.

"Tai!"

Tai embraced her back and so the night went on. Dinner was...an adventure as well as the conversations he had with his parents and Kari. Mimi leaned on his shoulder as they all talked in the small living room. The cat clock on the wall binged as it struck midnight. Tai looked at it and then back at his family.

"My flight leaves at 1, I know you two are really busy but if you want to come...you can."

Kari narrowed her eyes, "I'm coming for sure! And T.K. is coming too, since he wants to be able to see you off as well. And I got calls from the gang and they're all planning on coming as well. You aren't going to get away without seeing everyone."

Tai sighed but deep inside he was happy that so many people wanted to come see him off. When Mimi yawned against her will he knew it was time to leave. Standing up he pulled her to her feet also.

"Sorry Mom and Dad but we're going to go back home. Hopefully we can catch the last train before 1 when they close for the night."

His mother had her arms around him before he realized what was going on. "We'll be there to see you off honey, you can count on it."

"Thanks mom."

He bid farewell to his father and kissed Kari on the cheek and then took Mimi's hand in his own and made his way out of the apartment. As the door closed behind them and they started walking he smiled tiredly at Mimi.

"Sorry about that. I got a little carried away with talking to my parents."

"I don't blame you. We haven't seen them in a long time." Mimi smiled as she followed him towards the train station.

"Yeah, but now we can go home and sleep."

"You'll need your sleep. I'm going to pack some of your things. We have so much to do before you go, but hopefully if I get it all done tonight then you can spend the whole day doing whatever you like." Mimi explained.

Tai looked up at the night sky, "Is it so bad to want to be able to sleep with you tonight...since it'll be one of the last times I'll be able to?"

Mimi blinked a few times, "No, not at all. I was just thinking of all the work that needed to be done. But of course we can sleep together...and do just sleeping."

"Okay, thanks."

They reached their apartment and Tai collapsed on the bed, he pulled his shirt off but didn't have the energy to do much more than that.

"I'm sorry I have to leave Mimi, I really don't want to."

Mimi smiled as she unbuckled his belt and began to unbutton his pants before easing them slowly off him, "I know you don't. It's not you fault. You're just serving your country."

Tai covered his eyes with the crook of his elbow, "Hurry up and come cuddle with me before I totally become one with the abyss."

She laughed as she hurried and changed into her pajamas. She crawled into bed next to him, settling herself in, "You're pretty demanding when you want to be."

He flipped on his side and pulled her against him. "You bet I am."

"But I love you anyway. I'm glad you actually took a chance on me Tai. I'm not the easiest person to be around..." she muttered as she snuggled into his chest.

"You've never bothered me Mimi, even back when we were kids."

"You were the only one I didn't bother. I was really impressed by that even when we were kids."

He smirked with his eyes closed, "Well I'm glad I could impress somebody back then."

"What are you talking about? Everyone was impressed with you even back then. We all just show it differently. You're...an amazing leader." Mimi replied.

"Ha ha ha, I was naive and stupid. I got you guys into so much trouble because of my stubbornness. But thank you for saying that." He yawned and pulled her a little closer, he tried to stay aware of his surroundings but he slowly started to feel himself slip away into the comforts of sleep.

"I love you Tai." she kissed his lips lightly as she began to close her eyes.

The next morning came quickly and Tai was woken up by his alarm from his cell phone. Groggily he felt around for it, accidentally knocking it off his night stand in the process. Tiredly he sat up and rubbed at his sleepy eyes. Mimi groaned, but didn't move in the bed.

"Why is your phone so loud?"

"Because if it wasn't then I'd never get up." Tai yawned.

"We could just not get up." Mimi threw the pillow over her head, acknowledging that she was definitely not a morning person.

Tai rubbed her arm, "You stay in bed a little bit longer. I'm just going to be packing some stuff, and I'll make you some breakfast, how does that sound?"

"I should pack your things but...I hate mornings." Mimi groaned, feeling guilty for laying in bed, but not having the energy or resolve to get up.

"It's all right, I'll manage." Tai answered with a comforting squeeze to her arm. He got up and got dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt. Walking into one of the other rooms he started to pack some items from the list he had.

An hour later, Mimi wandered groggily into the living room where he was packing. She had a stack of folded clothes in her arms.

"You'll need these." she put them on the floor next to him. He took them and put them in his large military duffel bag. He smiled at her before turning back to his list and consulting it again on what else he would need.

"I made some waffles if you'd like one."

"Thanks babe. I'd love one. I'll do the dishes and then I can help you with packing."

After Mimi ate her waffles and did the dishes, she went into the bathroom and spent 45 minutes getting herself ready for the day. When she emerged, she was dressed in a perfectly coordinated outfit that consisted of a pink and black sweater dress and black tights.

"So what do we have left that needs to be done?"

Tai frowned, "Well...I have most of the packing done so that's a plus. I need to make a few phone calls to make sure everything money wise will be taken care of while I'm gone and to see if there's any last minute additions."

"Oh...okay. Well I need to make a phone call too. Why don't you go ahead and I'll check all your bags and make sure everything is packed in tight." she suggested.

Tai stood up from his place on the ground, "I'll do that then. Hopefully you won't have to re-pack much. I tried to make it as tight as possible."

Mimi smiled, "Maybe I'll add a woman's touch. You might need some potpourri to cover up the smell of your gym socks that still stink after me washing them 20 times."

He smiled back before stepping out of the room to make his phone calls. Mimi repacked Tai's bags and did put some bags of potpourri in each of his bags. She then zipped them up and walked into their bedroom. She reached for her phone and made her call. Her stomach twisted and turned as she made the call and had a pleasant conversation with the people she had called. She hung up quickly before Tai got finished with his phone calls and went back to the living room, picking up a file and began to file her nails.

"Sorry that took so long. What call did you have to make?" Tai asked curiously as he sat down next to her.

"I just had to call the high school and tell them I wouldn't be in for the first few days of school."

Tai shrugged, "All right. So...what did you want to do now? I'm open to anything, today is your day."

Mimi looked up at him, "My day? But...shouldn't it be your day, since you'll be the one who will be gone?"

"I want to do anything you want to do." He smiled.

She blinked several times, "Well...honestly I just want to be with you. I'm going to miss you and it'll be lonely living alone, so that's really all I want."

"Okay...but what do you want to do?" Tai asked, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Ummm...well we could go to the park. The sakura trees are blooming and it's always nice to see them. We could have a picnic and I don't know...we could do whatever we want. We could even go visit Palmon and Agumon if you want to."

"Let's do the picnic. I don't know if I can tell Agumon about leaving. He'll insist on coming and I can't have that."

"Okay we can do that. I'm fine with anything really."

"All right."

She put the file down and took his hand in hers, "Well let's go. We can have a picnic and just...enjoy being together."

He nodded in agreement. Mimi stood up and grabbed her purse as she took the lead. She led them to the park nearby where the cherry trees were in full bloom. It took her a few minutes of walking around to find the perfect spot for them near the pond but underneath the cherry trees where they could fully enjoy them. After sitting down, they began to talk. First it started out where they relived their memories from when they were children. Camping in the Digital World, the scary monsters they had encountered, how much both of them had grown in that time. They each laughed at some of the happier and funnier memories they had.

After a while, Mimi got up and bought a crepe from a vendor nearby for her and Tai. She handed him a chocolate crepe while she began to nibble on her strawberry one.

"You know Tai...I'm glad that I came back to Japan after everything was over with during that crisis with the new kids. I wouldn't have gotten a chance to fall in love with you. I might have actually taken Michael up on his proposal."

"I'm glad you came back too. Otherwise, I'd probably still be pinning after Sora even though she's married." Tai replied.

"Sometimes I wonder if you still are. I'm...nothing like her and sometimes I wonder if I'm not good enough." she looked out at the pond before them.

"Don't worry about that Mimi. You are good enough, if you weren't then I wouldn't be with you. I don't want Sora anymore, really I don't. She's happy with Matt, which makes me happy as well."

"Yes, those two are very happy. I really think that Sora is good for Matt. She reaches him in a way that most other girls can't. Maybe because they went through so much together when they were young and the fact that Sora...can see things under the surface. I really think Matt wouldn't be the man he is today without her."

"That's for sure. He really needed someone like her."

"But we're not here to talk about Matt and Sora. I wonder...what do you think I should do if I don't make it into University of Tokyo? I could try for other universities...but it would mean we would have to move and your school is here..."

"I think you should do what you feel is best. If we have to move that's fine."

"And there's my parents to consider. When they get wind of what's going on here...they'll want me to come home." Mimi massaged her temples.

"I'll understand if you want to go home while I'm gone. It'd make sense."

"That's just it. I'm not sure if I want to. My school is here and I still have another trimester to go. Hopefully I get into Tokyo University. If not then I can try for Kyoto University or another college. I just don't want to uproot you Tai. You worked hard to get into Tokyo University. Maybe if I don't pass the entrance exam...I'll just get a job somewhere."

Tai shook his head, "I'll be fine with whatever happens all right? You just need to do your best to get into college."

Mimi sighed, "I'm sorry...I'll shut up now. I've just got a lot on my mind."

"I know but everything will be okay, we just have to believe that."

"Yes, it will be." she massaged his hand for a few moments before she spoke, "Actually...I called my parents. They said they want to come to see you off tomorrow."

"They live in America though..." Tai said.

"Yes, I said they didn't have to come, but my Dad is trying to get a plane set to take them. He said he'd call me if he was able to get one. They also...asked me about coming home and I told them I wasn't going home while you were gone."

"Well...that's nice of them."

She slowly turned to look at him and touched his cheek, "I didn't know if you'd be happy about it or not, but I thought I'd better tell you before they just show up at the airport when you leave."

"Thanks. I'm sure it'll be fine to see them." Tai answered.

After a few hours, they began walking back to the train station. Mimi saw a tattoo parlor on the way back.

"This'll sound crazy, but how do you feel about getting a tattoo?" she asked curiously.

He blinked several times, "I never really thought about it. Is it something you would like to do?"

"Well...it's crazy really, but...normally I wouldn't get a tattoo, but this isn't a normal circumstance." she hung her head, feeling extremely stupid for even mentioning it.

"If you want to then I'm fine with it." Tai shrugged.

"Maybe I'll just get one...it's no big deal."

"Nope, it isn't." Tai agreed.

She strode confidently into the tattoo parlor and told the artist exactly what she wanted. She smiled at Tai as she laid down on the chair with her lower back exposed.

"You can go shop if you want to. This'll be a couple hours." she told him as the artist got his gun ready.

Tai wasn't sure if he should leave her but a thought entered his mind and he nodded. "Just call me as soon as you're ready for me to come get you."

"Okay have a good time." she waved as the tattoo artist stood up with the gun in hand.

"See you soon," He left the tattoo parlor and headed down the street towards the small strip mall. He walked past windows, looking in at everything that was displayed in the window. After passing a few windows he found the shop that would probably hold what he was looking for. Entering the shop he walked to the many display cases and looked at everything that was inside. Within a few minutes he found what he was looking for and pointed it out to one of the cashiers. Once it was purchased he put the box in his pocket and whistled as he walked down the street.

After a few hours had passed Mimi called Tai to come get her as she waited outside the tattoo parlor. She patted her purse in satisfaction. She had taken an extra half an hour to go and get what she had wanted at another store. '_He's going to be surprised when I give it to him.'_

He arrived at the shop and smiled at her. "I picked something up for you," he fished in his pocket and handed her a rectangle box.

She blinked a few times, "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to, go ahead, open it." Tai motioned for her to open the box. He knew she would love it since it was the matching necklace that went with a pair of earrings she had. She would have gotten the necklace as well but she hadn't been able to find it anywhere, that's why when he saw it he knew he hit the jackpot.

Mimi opened it gingerly and gasped loudly, "Where did you find this? I've been looking for it everywhere!" she squealed.

"Just at a little shop," he grinned.

"It's beautiful! Just like the earrings! I don't know how you did it, but you're amazing!" she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He swung her around twice, easily. "I'm glad you like them."

"Well...I was going to save this for tomorrow, but..." she fished in her purse and pulled out a plastic bag. "I got you something you can have when you go...hopefully it will remind you of me."

She smiled as she thought about it. She had gone right after she had finished getting the tattoo down to a shop that specialized in military memorabilia. She had asked one of the men there to make a pair of dog tags with their crests intertwined on it. The back of the tag showed the date that he had taken her out for the very first time.

"I hope you like it...since you're so hard to buy for. Sorry it's not wrapped or anything." she handed him the plastic bag.

He opened it and pulled out the dog tags. He fingered them and felt the engravings. "Wow...I really like it, I'll make sure to add them to my other ones. Thank you."

"That design...is actually the tattoo I got on my back. I showed it to the guys at the military shop and they did a good job engraving it onto the dog tags."

"Its nice, thank you." Tai thanked her again, his eyes still trained on the dog tags.

"Well let's go home." she grabbed his hand and led him back towards the train station. He followed close behind her, his hand tightening over hers.

They arrived at home an hour later and Mimi set to making dinner. She changed into another shirt and a pair of sweats. The white bandage over her lower back was clearly visible as she began to get dinner ready.

"Any requests? It's going to be your last home cooked meal in a while." she asked as she dug around the kitchen for ingredients.

"Anything you cook is fine with me. I love your cooking."

She smiled as she pulled some ingredients out and set to cooking. She prepared a grand meal for him, consisting of all his favorites including dumplings, rice balls, miso soup, and chocolate mousse for dessert.

Once it was all finished and laid out on the kitchen counter, she wiped her brow, "Come and get it dear, it's ready."

Tai walked in and stared at all the food. "Wow, this is really amazing. You outdid yourself."

"Well some of it was easy to make so it wasn't a big deal." she smiled proudly, "You'll get a good meal tonight. No eggplant surprise here."

"That is great news!" Tai laughed, already starting to pile his plate full of food.

"And eat as much as you want. I made plenty so you could have everything you want and as much as you want."

He grinned, "Thanks."

She sat down on the couch, waiting for him to eat as much as he wanted. She would have whatever was left afterwards, which she expected to be not a lot.

He ate quite a bit and rubbed his stomach as soon as he was finished. "Yum, that was really good."

"I'm glad you liked it. I'll take your plates and do the dishes." she took his plates and stacked them up so they would be easier to carry, "Did you get enough? I can make more if you want more."

"No, I couldn't finish it all. So there's quite a bit left." Tai replied, standing as well to help her with the dishes.

She looked at the food still on the counter, "I'll eat some and then pack the rest. Maybe you can eat it tomorrow or pack it for the flight over."

"That's a good idea." Tai beamed as he began to wash the dishes.

She stood next to him and dried the dishes, even though they had a dishwasher that would do this just as easily. They developed a rhythm and soon the dishes were all washed, dried and put away. Mimi began to eat some of the food as she pulled out containers for the other food that she wouldn't finish.

"Are you scared to go over there?" she asked quietly.

"Yes..." Tai replied just as quietly.

She put the food into the containers and put the lid on top, "Do you...wanna talk about it? It might make it better to get it out before you go."

"...I sort of already talked to Matt about it. I don't want to make you depressed about it."

"Why would I be depressed? I want to help you in any way I can, so if you feel like you need to talk to me about it...then you can."

"I'm all right, everything will be fine. I just can't believe I leave tomorrow."

She walked over and put her hand on his shoulder, "I can't believe it either. A whole year...what am I going to do without you in that time?"

"Go to college, have fun with Matt and Sora, visit your parents. You can do lots of things."

"But...they all don't feel the same without you. I guess...I'm used to having you around. It's going to be lonely coming home to an empty apartment and sleeping in an empty bed."

Tai was quiet for a moment, "I know, but you'll become stronger because of this, just as I will. We'll get through it."

"Well we really don't have many choices, do we? At least...the whole world isn't riding on us this time. We aren't fighting monsters as big as skyscrapers." she smiled sadly.

"No we aren't, which is a good thing." Tai agreed.

Slowly her arms wrapped around his thin frame, "Tai...you have to come back to me. You can't...die."

"I'll try my hardest not to."

He looked at the clock and frowned at the time. In only 8 hours he'd be in the airport, waiting for his flight to come in. With a couple of steps he walked them into their bedroom and continued to hold her close as he sat on their bed.

"I don't want to die...so I'll do everything in my power to come back to you. But...if for any reason I don't-just know I loved you more than anything else."

"Okay...though you aren't going to die so you can tell me that tons and tons of times." she muttered, laying her head on his chest as she sat in his lap.

"Yeah..." he mumbled, his voice trailing off. He held her close to him for a long time, not wanting the hours to tick by but knowing they would anyway. After an hour or so he finally spoke.

"We better get some sleep...considering we'll have to be up again in a few hours."

"Yeah we'd better. I don't want you asleep on your feet." she answered, slowly moving to get off his lap.

The alarm was set and both of them crawled into bed. Mimi held onto Tai tightly, memorizing everything about him so she could hold onto it for the next year while he was gone. She memorized his scent, the way his skin felt, the way his hair passed easily through her fingers, anything she would want to remember for the next year.

Hours passed quickly and before they knew it they were up and getting ready for the day. Tai was dressed in his military uniform. He was lacing up his boots when his phone alarm went off indicating that it was time for them to leave the apartment.

"Mimi! Time to go!" he called into the bathroom that was across the hall. Mimi appeared a few seconds later, dressed in jeans and a pink t-shirt. She was smoothing her hair as she put on a tan colored newsboy hat.

"I'm almost ready. The taxi should be here any minute and then we can load your bags and go."

He finished lacing up his boots, and looked at her. "You look great." He stood up and gathered up his two big duffel bags. He heard a honk from outside and looked out the window, seeing the taxi he headed towards the door.

"It's here. Time to head out." He ducked through the door and walked down a flight of stairs. He packed all his bags in the trunk and held the door open for Mimi to get in. When she slid in he slid in next to her and told the driver where to take them. As they made their way to the airport he held her hand, wanting to memorize how her hand felt in his. Once they arrived he paid the driver and got out and retrieved all his bags. He started to walk down the street towards the hangar that he would be leaving from. He made a pit-stop in order to drop off his bags so they could be loaded onto the plane. After that was finished he took Mimi's hand in his own and walked to the hangar where they would wait for his plane to come in.

He shook his head, a huge smile coming to his face as he saw the whole gang standing there waiting for them.

Kari was the first one to break the formation and run to him. He was nearly thrown off his feet from the force.

"I can't believe it's time for you to leave already! I'm going to miss you! You better write or I will seriously come over there and kick your butt."

Tai laughed cheerfully, "I promise to write."

Matt was on him next, "You've got bags under your eyes. Did you not do much sleeping last night?"

Tai wasn't sure if he should answer that question or not so he just shrugged. "You know, the nervousness that comes before you go somewhere exciting? Well I had that...although I wasn't excited."

"Oh...I see how it goes. You'll be fine. Just don't go charging in somewhere unprepared and without a plan and you'll be fine."

"I won't." Tai replied. Sora stepped forward. She held out her hand, a small object laid in her palm.

"I made this for you Tai, keep it with you, it'll bring you good luck."

Tai took the small object from her and glanced at it. It was a simple green polished stone, it was meant to bring good luck. He tucked it into one of his many pockets.

"Thank you, I'll make sure to carry it with me always."

Joe stepped forward next and handed Tai two packages, "You might need these two first aid kits. It's always good to have one in case you get a scratch or when you rip a seam in your pants and of course it's always good to have two in case you lose one."

Tai smiled, "Thanks Joe, I'm sure they'll come in handy."

Izzy took his turn next, "This jump drive has everything I could find about the area you're going. I managed to get some schematics to buildings and things that may be useful, though I'd better not say where I got them from."

Tai put the thumb-drive in his pocket next to the stone. "Thanks, I'll use the information for sure."

T.K. rubbed the back of his neck as he exchanged a look with Kari.

"Uh...we didn't really know what to get you so we decided we'd just give you some money, since I'm sure you'll need as much of that as you can get."

Kari handed him the money after T.K. had finished explaining. Tai took it and shook his head. "I really shouldn't take this from you guys."

"Nonsense Tai, we wanted to give you something and this was the best thing we could think of. So you'll take it." Kari said stubbornly. Tai sighed, placing it in his pocket.

"Thank you very much you two."

There was a tap on Tai's shoulder and when he turned around, Mr. and Mrs. Tachikawa were standing near their daughter.

"We're glad we could make it to see you off." Mr. Tachikawa started somewhat awkwardly.

Tai smiled uneasily, "I thank you for coming, I know it was completely out of your way. It means a lot to see you."

"We are so glad we could come Tai. I was very glad when Mimi called and told us you were leaving. We wanted to be here for both of you. Please accept this from both of us." Mrs. Tachikawa took the lead, handing Tai a large wad of money to accompany Kari and T.K.'s money, "I'm sorry it's not more personal, but we were lucky to get here so there wasn't time to find a suitable gift."

"N-no this is great. Thank you very much," he bowed slightly to them as he placed the money in his pocket.

"Take care of yourself son. We may not like some of the choices that were made between you two, but we do respect you for what you are doing to help your country." Mr. Tachikawa added.

Tai bowed to him as well, "I will do that sir, thank you."

Mimi stepped forward after mostly hanging back and letting everyone else say their goodbyes. The moment had come for them to say goodbye one last time. In a few minutes, Tai would board the plane and be off to a combat zone for at least a year.

"Look at all the gifts you got...I'm sure they will serve you well." she bit her lip as emotion surged through her.

Tai looked deeply into her eyes. "Yeah...well...I guess this is, goodbye, for now."

"Yeah, I guess it is...I love you." she reminded him as she put her arms around his neck.

He held her tightly, "I love you too," he whispered in her ear.

At that moment, despite how much she had been holding it in, she began to cry on Tai's shoulders. She buried her face into the fabric of his uniform so hopefully less people would hear her cry over this.

He rubbed her back but didn't know what else to say. He felt emotions roll over him as reality set in. It would be at least a year until he saw her again in person. He could see pictures of her and perhaps once in a while they could do Skype but that would be far and in between. Soon he heard his unit being called. It was time for him to leave. He fought with himself, part of him, a large part, didn't want to let her go. But the other part of him knew he had to. It was time to start his duty.

"I love you, no matter what." He said as he slowly pulled away from her hold. He touched her cheek, wiping away some of her stray tears. "And that won't change, I promise."

"I know. I'm sorry I shouldn't cry. Be safe and remember that no matter what happens out there...there are people here who love you. Everyone here loves you and I love you too." she answered.

"I won't forget," Tai promised as his unit was called once again. He leaned down and kissed her quickly before turning to look at everyone who had come.

"I thank you all for coming, please be safe and I'll see you all soon." He touched Mimi's cheek again before turning on his heels and walking towards the hangar doors.

Everyone gathered where they could watch the plane take off. Matt put his hand on Mimi's shoulder as she cried softly. The group pressed together so everyone would get to see the servicemen entering the plane and it taking off. Once everyone was loaded onto the plane, the crowd who had seen all the men and women off began to wave. The plane began to taxi down the runway as everyone waved. This would be hard for everyone that had come that day to see a loved one off to war, but they realized how important it was to support the people who were serving their country. Sometimes, that's what you had to do to ensure that there was freedom for everyone in the world. And each person in the crowd had a prayer in their hearts that in a year from now, when everyone would return, that instead of tears being shed like there had been today...there would be tears of joy, there would be smiles and laughing as the servicemen were reunited with their families and the people they loved the very most.


End file.
